Music at Trinity: Classical Guitar with Zak Pleet

Zak Pleet returns to Music at Trinity for his first recital in Ottawa since July 2019. He has prepared a wonderful program for this event including a Canadian premiere of a work by Marco Smaili. Works by the great J.S. Bach, Joaquin Rodrigo, Juan Sorroche and Alan Marsden will also be featured. This recital will be presented at Trinity Anglican Church on May 27th 2023 at 4 pm.

Zak Pleet

The first Canadian graduate of the prestigious “Máster en Interpretación de Guitarra Clásica” from the University of Alicante, Zak Pleet has been recognized as an “international icon” by the newspaper “El Noroeste” in Murcia. Delighting audiences through Spain and Canada, his performances have been called “poetic,” “full of expression,” and “masterful.” He has performed in concerts settings from 500-year-old churches in Spain to open-air concerts and everything in between. Displaying his preference for rare and unheard music, Zak enjoys sharing important historical context while presenting music that is not often heard in concerts. Zak has participated in masterclasses with the most preeminent guitarists of our time. This includes Grammy award winners and nominees David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, Paul O’Dette, and many more. During his student years, Zak worked with some of Canada’s finest teachers including Stephen Rollins, Alan Marsden, Remi Boucher, and members of the Canadian Guitar Quartet. Off of the stage, Zak is a sought-after teacher. He has taught through the OttawaCarleton District School Board and the Conservatorio de Música “Leandro Martínez Romero.” Behind the scenes, Zak manages a small team for the online learning platform www.classicalguitarshed.com. This includes curating and managing a Sheet Music Library with over 1000 published works. In addition to a variety of other tasks, he continues to provide insight and support to the members of the website. His contributions to the site have garnered millions of views.

J.S. Bach

The recital will open with an arrangement of J.S. Bach Cello Suite No.3 for classical guitar. The six cello suites are some of the most frequently performed solo compositions ever written for cello. Bach most likely composed them during the period 1717–1723, when he served as Kapellmeister in Köthen. They are structured in six movements starting with a prelude and followed by a series of baroque dances. The cello suites are considered some of Bach’s greatest musical achievements and have been transcribed for many other instruments.

Alan Marsden

An Ottawa based composer, Alan Marsden has a music degree from Carleton University where he later went on to teach in the performance program for guitar. He has performed live in a multitude of musical genres including classical music, jazz, blues, Celtic, gypsy jazz, flamenco, folk, techno, funk, and Lebanese disco. Over the years, Alan has organized many others to share their gift of music, including currently as Community Program Manager for RBC Bluesfest and CityFolk festival engaging thousands of youth every year in music education programs. The variations on “Greensleeves” featured in this program have been dedicated to Zak Pleet.

Juan Sorroche

Born 1947 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Juan Sorroche studied music and guitar with Jaime Camuñas and Jorge Rubiano. He obtained his diplomas at the Lausanne Conservatory of music and at the Académie de musique de Genève, after studying in both institutions with Miguel Rubio. In 1972, Mr. Sorroche was awarded the Arpad Gerecz Prize for the most distinguished guitar student as well as the Conservatory of Music Professors Association Prize for the most distinguished student in musical analysis. Juan Sorroche has performed widely in the United States, Europe and South and Central-America in solo recitals and with orchestra. He has taught classic guitar at the University of Puerto Rico since 1977 and is also president of the Puerto Rico International Guitar Festival. Mr. Pleet has chosen his Romanza for this recital.

Joaquim Rodrigo

Known mostly for his Concierto de Aranjuez, Joaquim Rodrigo is recognized for having raised the Spanish guitar to dignity as a universal concert instrument. His concertos aside, one can find over twenty different works composed for classical guitar in his catalogue. Composed in 1981, Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Un Tiempo due Itálica Famosa” will also be featured in this program. We hope you can join us.

Classical Guitar with Zak Pleet is part of Music at Trinity and will be presented at Trinity Anglican Church at the corner of Bank and Cameron on Saturday May 27th at 4 pm. Freewill offerings are welcome